Reflets Sombres
by Blitzkrieg9688
Summary: After the series, a new Sasame is born and it seems as if a coming darkness is rising to threaten the Leafe Knights. On top of that, the Prince of the Dark Elves is looking for a bride, and has his sights set on Mawata!
1. A Young Boy

Author's Note: This is my first Prétear fanfic, so please be kind hehe.. Basically the story is divided into two parts, one is rather short, and the other is really the main plot. I'll make it clear where the two parts divide. BTW, this fic will contain both m/f and m/m relationships, so if you are anti- shounen-ai, it would be best if you not read this fic.. Buuut.. No canon relationships are broken, so that means Himeno/Hayate, yay!

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Reflets Sombres

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"Cheers!" Cried the seven companions as their glasses clinked together in a toast. They stood around a circular dinner table, dressed with partially burned candles in silver candlesticks, fine white china with the remains of a lavish meal spread about them and the used silverware, and a fine white flower embroidered tablecloth. 

The room itself was large and spacious, with the table in the center. There was one entrance into the room, against the south end wall. Mannen, Goh and Kei sat closest to this door. Shin and Hajime sat to the right of Kei, and Hayate and Himeno were nearly directly across from both Kei and Goh. Behind Himeno and Hayate, on the north end wall was a large circular window which overlooked the city. On both the east and west end walls large classical paintings were hung.

It was the eve of Himeno's twenty third birthday, and she had spent it with her friends, taking the day off to celebrate this day with the people she loved most. She would have a party like this one with her family on her actual birthday the next day, but she wanted to have a special party to spend with her Knights.

Mannen, the Knight of Ice, swiveled his wine glass about appreciatively, leaning his head back to cry out, "Speech!" As he did so, Shin giggled in amusement, bending his neck to look at the contents of his wine glass, which was only white grape juice. Himeno set her glass on the table, leaning her head to the side and smiling.

"I'll give one." Himeno said, placing her hands to her side. She breathed in, blushing slightly before she began. "When I met you all.. seven years ago.. I honestly had a very bleak outlook on the world.. and people in general.." Himeno began, scanning over the six Leafe Knights that stood around her.

She smiled in an almost bittersweet manner, noting that one of her first friends from the Leafe Knights could not be with them on that day. Sasame, former Leafe Knight of Sound, had lost his ability to prét after being reborn by Himeno. Kei had told them it was because technically since Sasame did die, and thus he lost his ability to be the Knight of Sound, and a new Knight was being created to take his place. Now Sasame was bound to stay in Leafenia, also as part of a punishment for allowing himself to become a puppet of Fenril. He was able to leave Leafenia during the day to have his radio show, but could not stay in the human world for long periods of time. He had told Himeno that he did not regret any of his actions, and Himeno believed that both he and Takako were both deeply in love with one another. A party with the two lovers included had taken place earlier in the day, and afterwards the two said their goodbyes and returned to Leafenia.

She gulped down the lump in her throat, continuing, "..but.. then Hayate showed me what love was.. and Sasame taught me to believe in my friends.. Goh and Kei.. the both of you taught me how valuable my family and my life is.. and Shin, Hajime and Mannen.. you three taught me how to truly laugh and love again.." She finished, bowing her head to wipe a tear from her eyes. "..So.. thanks.." She whispered.

There was a moment of silence where the six remaining Leafe Knights looked at her in almost reverence. Shin and Hajime broke the silence, crying out, "We love you, Himeno-chan!!" as they both embraced her, Shin bursting into tears as they did so. The Prétear smiled in response as she reached up to pat Shin and Hajime's hair, which was no easy thing to do since over the past seven years both boys had shot up a considerable amount height wise, Hajime more so than Shin, who was nearly the same height as Himeno.

"Himeno.." Hayate whispered lightly, reaching out to take his lover's hand in his own. "It is our pleasure entirely.. to be your Knights.. happy birthday, koi." He kindly added to his Princess. She flashed a peace sign from behind Shin and Hajime's lanky teenage forms, her bright pink hair barely poking out from between them.

Kei took a sip of his white wine, pursing his lips as he lowered the glass. "You grew and matured and became the most astonishing example of a Prétear I have ever seen."

"And that's a compliment, seeing as how Kei is so damn old." Mannen added, dodging before either Kei or Goh could reach over and swat him on the head. Goh gave him a dark glare instead, and Mannen stuck his tongue out in response, pulling down an eyelid before going back to sipping his wine. Goh was next, directing a glare at Mannen before he turned his attention to Himeno.

"You're only my second Prétear, Himeno.. and Mannen, Shin and Hajime's first.. and I just wanted you to know that the example you set for them was one that I will always be grateful to you for." Goh began, trailing off quietly as he shut his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. As he did this, he noted that his glass seemed to be almost vibrating in his palm, and a strange grating ring was slowly intensifying in his ears. He shrugged off the strengthening shiver of the wine glass and the underlying tone, and continued, "And the love you have shown for all of us.. the caring.. I believe it will leave a positive influence on all of us.. and if Sasame could be here now, he woul-"

His speech was cut short as the ringing rapidly burst in a loud sound that was not unlike the inside of a ringing church-bell. The sound reverberated through the room, causing he and his companions to grab their ears in pain; the glass of the plates, the windows and the glasses immediately shattering into a million sparkling pieces. The large circular window that lie behind Himeno and Hayate burst from the force of the unseen blast, and as Himeno screamed from fright, Hayate grabbed onto her to prevent any glass from cutting her. Most of the shards flew harmlessly outward, and only a few remained in the room. He was sure he heard Shin cry out in surprise, and Kei next to him hissed a curse under his breath. As the ringing slowly died down, he lifted his palms from his pained ears, looking around at the others.

Each of the Leafe Knights and the Prétear possessed a confused look of varying degrees as they looked around the table at the shattered China, vase, and the remains of the window behind the ducking Himeno and Hayate. He originally thought the force had shattered the window completely, but this was not the case. There was a clean, horizontal split in the glass, about a foot wide, leaving the bottom and top of the window intact.

It was a long, quiet moment before anyone could speak. Goh grasped his hand, which had several deep cuts on it from the shattered glass, wincing as the blood beaded to the top. Mannen did the same thing, but rather than clenching his hand, he was blowing on the cuts, shaking his hand afterwards. Shin and Hajimei were looking about themselves wildly, their eyes wide and their skin pale from fright. Hayate continued to hold Himeno, who was gazing down at the remains of her wineglass in confusion. The Leafe Knight of Fire looked over at Kei, and even he showed a small amount of shock at the sudden burst of invisible energy.

The first Knight to regain enough composure spoke up, "What the HELL was that?!" Shouted Mannen, his voice shaking slightly.

"It... sounded like a sonic boom... or something," Himeno said shakily as Hayate helped her up.

"It could have been caused by a... jet passing overhead or something..." Kei suggested uncertainly as he set down what remained of the base of his own glass. "But then..."

"There's no glass, anywhere... except for the broken china and glasses," Shin said dazedly. He slowly unclenched his hands, which held the sleeves of Hajime's shirt in a death grip.

"It... felt like the force was coming from inside... out..." Hajime added, sounding just as dazed as Shin.

"Is... everyone OK?" Goh asked, finally taking his eyes off of his cut hand. "Anyone hurt?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"We're fine," Hayate said, as he looked at Himeno's hands and his own.

"Just some shallow cuts... nothing bad," Mannen said lightly.

Kei picked up a napkin from the table and pried open the clenched fingers of Goh's injured hand, pressing the napkin into the Knight of Fire's palm. "You should wash that out," The blond said gently, raising his golden eyes to look into Goh's deep scarlet-brown eyes. "You too, Mannen."

Mannen rolled his eyes at this, shrugging off Kei's advice as he continued to gingerly blow on his palm. He lifted his napkin from the floor; it had fallen off of his lap when he rose to speak, and wrapped it around his open palm.

Pulling his hand away from Kei's tender dabbing, Goh looked to the kitchen door, saying in a still rather bemused manner, "I'll go get a dust pan and a hand broom to sweep up this glass.." He looked to Kei, who removed his grip from Goh's hand, and then turned to duck into the kitchen.

Goh pushed the swinging door open, entering the kitchen and leaving the rest of his companions in the dining room. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck, and his arms stand on end with electricity. Goh paused, a feeling of déjà vu falling over him. He knew this feeling, it had coursed through his veins before, but from where and when he could not pinpoint. The tips of his fingers grew cold, and a feeling of nervousness began to rise in the pit of his stomach.

He shook his head, clenching his fists as he stepped further into the kitchen. It was a spacious room, with high white walls and white marble countertops. Two doors connected the kitchen to both the dining room and the living room. The dining room door was situated to the side of the bar counter; the living room door faced the bar counter head on. Over the bar hung several champagne, wine, snifter, margarita and martini glasses from a black stemware rack. Behind the bar stood the actual kitchen, with a white ceramic stovetop off to the right if you were to enter from the dining room door or on the back wall if you were to enter from the living room door. A large silver chrome sink sat in the counter on the right side wall, or from Goh's perspective straight ahead. The dishwasher was set to the right of the sink, and above the dishwasher was a white in the wall microwave. On the left side wall, or straight off the side from the dining room entrance, was a long countertop which held a black blender, a black coffeemaker, and a polished marble knife block. Tucked nearly against the bar, still on the left side wall, was an in the wall refrigerator.

Goh walked behind the bar counter, opening one of the cabinets underneath and reaching in to grasp a small dustpan and hand broom. He shut the cabinet, and felt another shock of electric energy skimming over his skin. He spun around on his heels, suddenly sensing another presence behind him. What he saw caused him to drop the dustpan and broom, and he hopped back from the unexpected sight.

The ringing sound returned, it lilted lightly in the air, yet permeated Goh's senses. The source came from a figure that stood behind him. A small child, who could not be much older than six, perhaps seven at best, stood before him. The child was a male, with creamy white skin and flashing violet eyes. His hair was nearly as pale as his skin, glinting silver in the light. The child wore nothing, and stood before Goh with a wary look in his dark eyes. His lips curled into a thoughtful smile, and a wave of familiarity fell over Goh.

_"..Sasame.."_ A quiet, invisible, yet familiar voice rang in the back of Goh's head. "_My own personal sin.. is now revived with the innocence of a child.."_

The child tilted his head to the side, lifting his serene voice to say, "..Leafe Knight of Fire.. Goh?"

Goh felt the electricity run up his spine once again, and opened his mouth, wanting to say something else, but he could only let out, "..One moment, please." He ducked out of the room, walking rapidly into the dining room. He rushed over to Kei's side, gripping the sleeve of the blond's white over shirt.

Kei turned and gave him his usual impassive gaze. "What is it, Goh? You look as though you have just seen a ghost."

"Kei.. there's a nude boy in the kitchen." Goh mumbled, tugging lightly on his shirt. Kei blinked his eyes slowly, as if Goh saying this was nothing out of the ordinary, and as if the idea of a nude boy being in their kitchen was just a regular occurrence.

Mannen, however, would not let this comment slide in the manner that Kei did. "Well, no surprise there, you probably hide nude children all over this apartment." As he said this, Kei and Goh both shot him disapproving glare.

"Could it it be?" Hayate whispered, looking to Kei, who shut his eyes. Kei nodded shortly, turning and walking silently into the kitchen, Goh following him. Himeno blinked in confusion, tugging on Hayate's sleeve.

"Could it be what?" She asked. Hayate said nothing, but took her hand and walked toward the kitchen. "..Hayate?"

Mannen's face turned from a look of teasing to a look of inquisitiveness. He stepped lightly after Himeno and Hayate, peering from behind Hayate. He was followed by Shin and Hajime, who both looked just a curious as Mannen did. The three seemed to revert back to their childlike forms, curious and innocent about what had happened, and what was about to happen.

Kei stopped, flipping his hair back as he folded his arms. Goh stood behind him, staring over his shoulder at the small child who stood in the middle of the kitchen floor. As Himeno and Hayate entered, Himeno drew in a quick breath at the sight of the young boy, covering her mouth. Hayate seemed unphased by the appearance of him, and the three youngest Leafe Knights said nothing, only stared in wonder.

"..I was wondering when you were going to appear." Kei said flatly, lowering his eyes to look at the boy more closely. Himeno pushed past Kei, removing her white cardigan and wrapping it around the bare child. He looked at her inquisitively, blinking as she stepped back.

"Lady Prétear.." The boy said timidly, raising a small hand to take her own. Himeno felt a very familiar electric sensation run through her body as his small fingers touched her own. Mannen made a move to get closer, to see what was going on, and stumbled over one of the legs of the stools that sat before the bar. Hayate shot a rather annoyed glance, turning to watch Himeno further. The boy looked away from Himeno, and up at the rest of the Leafe Knights, his gaze becoming somewhat shy at the imposing feeling the grown men gave him, "Leafe Knights of Wind, Light, Ice, Water and Plants.. Hayate, Kei, Mannen, Hajime and Shin.." He turned to look at Goh, smiling, "And I have already met Goh.."

"..His power.. he feels like a.. he feels like one of us." Mannen squeaked, slowly creeping up to stand next to Goh. "Goh.. who is he?" He asked, blinking in wonder.

"..He is.." Goh started, his face wrinkling into a bittersweet smile, "..Sasame.."

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A/N: Welllll, that's the end of chapter one.. tell me what you think about it! I know it's a bit confusing.. but next chapter is the explaining one! Stay tuned! Muahahahah!

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	2. The Rebirth of Sound

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La Renaissance de Son

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"Sasame?! What?" Mannen snapped, grabbing Goh's arm. "He's Sasame?! But.. Sasame.. but he's still alive.. why is this.. what the.. I don't.." Mannen stammered, looking from Kei to Goh to the child.

"Hush, Mannen." Hayate snapped, walking past both Goh and Mannen, stopping behind Himeno. "You are Sasame, correct?" Hayate asked, but he said it in a manner that seemed like he didn't really want an answer.

"..I am Sasame, Leafe of Sound.." The young boy piped. "I was conceived after the previous Sasame died protecting Takako.. Even though he returned to life and the side of Leafenia, he can no longer serve as a Leafe Knight."

"..This is true." Said Kei, nodding. "Sasame did lose his power to prét after Himeno revived him.. so it only makes sense that a new Knight of Sound be created." He lowered his eyes, a rare smile playing on his lips. "Goh and I have felt you stirring for some time.."

As Kei said this, Goh reddened a little. Mannen blinked, placing his hands on his hips. "Come to think of it, I have been feeling like something new was in me nowadays.. I guess that was the Leafe telling me that my comrade was reborn."

"..But how did you wake?" Asked Hayate. Sasame raised his eyes, smiling sheepishly.

"The.. Leafe woke me.. it told me to seek out my fellow Knights.. so that I may begin my training. It also told me to see the former Knight of Sound and speak to him.." Sasame answered, reaching up and clutching the sleeves of the cardigan Himeno had wrapped around him.

"Hey, wait.. Leafe Knights are born as infants! He's.. not an infant." Hajime piped in, turning his gaze to Kei and Hayate, who looked at each other.

The young boy tilted his head to the side, averting his gaze from the Leafe Knights. As he did this, Kei nodded his head, "Yes, that is true. However, very, very rarely, a Leafe Knight will be born older than usual.. I do not understand why.. but I know the last case of it was the previous Goh. The Leafe woke him in the form of a twelve year old. So, it is not unheard of.. but it is not common."

Goh bit his lip, moving away from Kei as the Knight of Light mentioned the previous incarnation of the Knight of Fire.

"Never mind that now.. we can fill in the blanks later, guys. We need to get you dressed first of all." Himeno stated, patting Sasame's shoulders lightly. She turned to look at Goh, who was gazing silently. "Goh.." She began as Goh darted back into consciousness, "Do you still have any of Hajime or Shin's old clothing?" She asked.

Goh paused for a moment, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "I might.. I'll go check." He replied, pushing past Hayate and Kei to leave the kitchen through the living room door. As he did, Hajime, Mannen and Shin flooded past Kei and Hayate to get a closer look at the new arrival. Hayate looked to Kei, giving him a slight nod, and Kei blinked in response, turning and following Goh out of the room.

Kei walked through the living room, running his fingers along the armrest of the white couch. Near the couch was a large entertainment center, which was quite obviously used many a-time by Mannen, Hajime and Shin. Directly across from the entertainment center were three doors, one against the far back wall, and two on the right wall. The two rooms belonged to the three youngest knights, Hajime and Shin took one, and Mannen took the other. The last room, the master bedroom, belonged to him and Goh.

He approached their bedroom, stepping inside and looking around for Goh. There was a large king sized bed with white and tan sheets, and several large white pillows along the right side wall. On either side of the bed sat an oak bedside table, each with a lamp on it. Along the back wall were two large windows with white curtains and shades. The shades were pulled up and the windows were partially opened. On the left side of the room, a flat screen television hung on the wall and to the left of the television was a door that led into the large bathroom. Directly to Kei's left, were a polished oak dresser drawer, and another door that led into the walk-in closet. The door to the closet was open and the light was on, so Kei assumed that Goh was in there.

Sure enough, Goh was in the back of the walk in closet, reaching up over the clothing hangers to take a cardboard box off of the shelf above. Kei leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms, "Did you find anything?" He asked. Goh looked over at Kei, smiling before setting the box down.

"I think I have some of their old clothes in these boxes.." Goh answered, kneeling down to open the box. He began to root through the box as Kei approached him, sitting down next to Goh. It was obvious that Goh was avoiding Kei's gaze, and Kei sighed lightly and rested a slender hand over Goh's hand. Goh paused, looking up at Kei, who gave him almost a smile.

"Are you alright?" Kei asked, causing Goh to look away again shyly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Goh said, returning a question as a response.

"..Because you always have a mix of happiness and sadness when a new Leafe Knight is born." Kei replied.

He shrugged, pulling his hand away to continue sorting through the box. "It is true.. I mean.. seeing a new Knight just reminds me that one of my friends had to die for the new Knight to be here.. and it's hard.. even though Sasame is still alive.." Goh answered. Kei said nothing, nodding in response. Goh smiled, lifting a bundle of clothes out of the box. "There.. I knew I still had some of their stuff." He said, rising to his feet and moving to exit the closet. As he did, Kei reached out and took hold of his wrist. Goh turned to look to his fellow knight, blinking.

Kei tugged on Goh's wrist, causing him to turn his entire body and face the Knight of Light. Kei reached up, running a hand along Goh's cheek lightly. He pushed himself up, meeting their lips together in a short, affectionate kiss, Kei adding a light pressure to Goh's lips before pulling away.

Goh blinked dreamily, smiling in response. "What was that for?" He asked.

"..I just hoped it would cheer you up." Kei said flatly. Goh smiled, charmed by how Kei would show his affection every now and then, usually at the most unexpected times. Those five years ago, Goh had come forth with his feelings for Kei, and not in the most inconspicuous manner. After that day they were nearly inseparable, but they preferred to not flaunt their relationship, and it was nearly another year before anyone really knew that the two were a couple. However, that was a different story entirely..

The light flipped off, and then on, alerting Kei and Goh to the door.

"Hey, twinkle twins.. Did you find any clothes yet?" Mannen asked. He stood in the doorway of the closet, a look of antipathy on his face. Kei sighed and stepped quietly out of the room, leaving Goh standing next to the box holding the bundle of clothes.  
  
"Yeah," Goh answered, looking down at the clothes. "Hopefully they fit him.. he's awfully small." He said warily, stepping out of the closet, flipping the light switch to turn off the closet light. He shot a dark glare at Mannen before he left the room, saying, "What have I told you about coming into our room? You're not supposed to just.. Walk in."  
  
Mannen rolled his eyes, averting his gaze out the window. "Well, it's not like you two could be boinking or anything right now, sheesh."  
  
Goh sighed in response, exiting the room and turning the bedroom light off as he went. Mannen followed him rather quickly, practically jogging into the kitchen. He pushed the swinging door open, not bothering to hold it open for Goh, who had to push the door open with his foot since he was carrying the folded clothes.  
  
"Here we are," Goh announced, walking around his fellow Knights and up to the small cardigan wrapped child. He knelt down on his knee, holding the clothes out to the boy. Sasame looked into Goh's eyes with a slight hesitation before darting his hands out to snatch the clothes.

"..Thank you." Sasame replied, looking sideways to Himeno. She reached down and took his hand, leading him out of the room.

"I'll help him get dressed." Himeno said, smiling back at the other Leafe Knights. They nodded in response as she and the small boy left the room. There was a hanging moment of silence before anyone spoke up.

"..He should train as soon as he can. We never know when something may come up." Kei spoke up, resting his back on the wall.

"I agree. It took us by surprise how much remaining demon larvae there was after Takako was saved several years ago. They still appear every now and then." Hayate nodded in agreement.

Hajime pulled out a stool, sitting on it and resting his elbows on his knees. "So.. We have a new Leafe Knight of Sound because.."

"..Because Sasame did technically die seven years ago, and as soon as a Leafe Knight dies, a new Knight is conceived. The new Knight already obtained the powers of the Knight of Sound, even though Sasame was reborn." Goh explained, smiling to Hajime.

"..So.. he'll be able to prét and everything?" Mannen asked. Hayate nodded in response.

"We will begin his training only with us.. he must train in that manner for at least a few years before he will be able to prét with Himeno. That is the way we trained you three, and it worked out quite well.." Kei commented, looking to the three youngest Knights. "Granted.. we have never had a new Knight born while we had a Prétear so it is bound to be different." He added.

"Perhaps this time we shall play it by ear.. Maybe even Sasame would like to help us train the new Knight.. he could be a great help to the child." Hayate replied. Himeno reentered the room, Sasame trailing after her. He wore a light blue t-shirt and dark blue shorts, each slightly baggy on him since he was smaller than Hajime had been at the time. Hayate approached him, kneeling down and placing his hands on Sasame's shoulders.

"We are going to go to Leafenia tomorrow.. you will begin your training with us.. and then eventually you will be able to prét with Lady Himeno.. is that understood?" He asked. Sasame nodded to Hayate, smiling silently. Goh walked up behind Hayate, looking down at the child.

"And you will be staying here with Kei and me.. you can stay in Mannen's room with him until we can get something sorted out for you." Goh smiled. Mannen began to protest, but stopped when Kei shot him a severe glare and mouthed the word 'no' to him.

Mannen sighed and rolled his eyes but made sure to turn his head as he did so, so that young Sasame wouldn't see him. on, kid... I'll show you to our room."

The child nodded wordlessly, his eyes bearing a rather sleepy droop already, and he followed Mannen like an obedient puppy. Hajime and Shin immediately followed.

"I think I'll fix him something to eat..." Goh said, patting Himeno's shoulder lightly. "Poor kid needs to get some meat on his bones if he's going to be spending the kind of energy it takes to be a Leafe Knight."

"And... I think I'm going to go see Sasame." Hayate thought out loud, looking to Himeno for her input.

"Alright, Hayate." Himeno said in response. "I'll help clean up the glass mess." She commented, stepping over to where Goh left the small broom and dustpan. As she did, she felt a warm wind pass through her hair, a faint scent of cinnamon passing her senses. She turned around on her heels, noting that Hayate was now gone. "..He's gone to Leafenia.."

"Yes. He said he would." Goh nodded in response, taking a saucepan out of the cabinet. He walked over to the sink and poured some water into the pan.

"..Do you wonder how Sasame will react to this new Leafe Knight?" Himeno asked.

Goh shrugged, placing the saucepan on the stovetop. "Sasame has accepted his new life. He still gets to keep his radio show, and he and Takako are happy together. I don't think he has any regrets." Goh replied, opening another cabinet to pull out a can of chicken soup. He walked up to the electric can opener, looking back at Himeno. "He'll be back before too long." Himeno nodded, exiting the room into the dining room to sweep up the glass.

After Himeno left, Kei stood at the other end of the kitchen from Goh, looking over his shoulder as if thinking. He kicked off of his perch, which had been leaning against the wall, and approached Goh. The Knight of Light took his partner's hand, squeezing it lightly to let him know he was there.

"..Kei.." Goh whispered.

"..It'll be alright." Kei replied, his voice level and soothing. Goh turned and looked to Kei, his eyes lighting up.

"Guess we're parents again, Kei." Goh replied, grinning.

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A/N: Chapter two is done! Muahahaa.. look forward to the original Sasame in chapter 3!! Also, check out my uber talented sis SweetCadbury's fics! Kei/Goh abounds! 


	3. It's a Bathtub!

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C'est une Baignoire!

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"Good evening, Hayate." Sasame said pleasantly, turning round to face the Knight of Wind. "What brings you here?" He asked, titling his head to the side. They stood in a large field in a remote area of Leafenia, a small house that the Leafe Knights had built for the couple off to the side. It was simple and peaceful, with a small pond nearby. Takako was inside. 

"..He came to us today." Hayate said nonchalantly, bowing his head to look at the ground.

"..Who?" Sasame asked quietly.

"...The new Knight of Sound. He appeared before us not twenty minutes ago." Hayate said, taking a deep breath before doing so. Sasame smiled gently at his former teammate.

"How is he?" Sasame asked.

"He.. seems frail. Frail and very quiet." Hayate responded. A long moment of silence followed. Hayate and Sasame had not spoken to each other much since Sasame's turning sides, and even after Sasame rectified his betrayal, their friendship was awkward and had remained that way ever since.

"..Well.." Hayate began as Takako approached from behind Sasame. She smiled at Hayate, placing a hand in Sasame's.

"Hello, Hayate.. how are you?" She asked, tossing a few strands of her long dark hair behind her shoulder. There was another hanging moment of silence.

"The new Knight of Sound awoke today, Takako." Sasame said before Hayate could say anything in response. Takako blinked, looking to Hayate.

"Really? What is he like?" She asked.

"He's only been awake for a short while, it is hard to say." Hayate replied. She nodded in acknowledgement. "..But we wanted to know.. if.."

"..If I would like to assist him in his training?" Sasame asked, almost seeming as if he was waiting for someone to suggest it. Hayate smiled a little, nodding slightly.

"Yes, actually.." He said quietly, scanning Sasame's face for a reaction that would hint at his response. "We thought that having the previous Knight of Sound able to assist the new Knight of Sound would help him understand his powers and gifts more easily."

Sasame looked to Takako for her response. She smiled and nodded to him. "I think you should, Sasame. You know how much you've missed.." Takako began, trailing off as Sasame looked to the ground. He smiled a little, shutting his eyes before looking up to face Hayate again.

"It would honor me to be able to meet and help teach the child. I know how hard it is to understand the powers of Sound.." Sasame nodded in agreement to Hayate. "In layman's terms.. I would love to." He said.

Hayate smiled, a little relieved that Sasame had agreed to help the new Knight. He bowed his head a little, kicking the dirt with his shoe for a moment before looking up at Sasame once again. There was another long, awkward pause.

Takako looked from Sasame to Hayate, smiling understandingly. "..I am going to go inside." She said quietly, walking away from the former Knight and the Knight of Wind. She looked back at the man she loved and the man she used to love, smiling a little as she ducked into the house.

The wind whistled by as Hayate began to turn away. As he did, Sasame spoke up. "Hayate.." He whispered as Hayate turned round to face Sasame again. "We need to talk." He said. Hayate nodded, realizing that the two may actually talk about what had been nagging at each for the past seven years.

"Agreed." Hayate said, kicking a pebble with his foot before looking with me." Sasame said, approaching Hayate and placing his hands to his sides. Hayate nodded as Sasame walked past him, following his ex-fellow knight. The two walked through the field, looking about as small fireflies lit up against the darkening sky. The moon began to rise, and as it did, a Leafenian moon flower began to open. Sasame stopped suddenly as he and Hayate reached an area of the field where the house was finally out of sight.

"..Well?" Hayate asked in his usual manner. Sasame breathed in the night air, looking skyward.

"..Takako and I are trying to have a child, Hayate.." He began, looking back at Hayate. This took Hayate back a bit, the thought of Sasame or any of the others ever having a child had never crossed his mind

He tried to play it off like it didn't shock him at all, bringing up a rare smile. "I give you the best of luck." He replied, looking to the side as the idea fully processed in his mind.

"..Thank you." Sasame said, looking away. "I can't say the idea of it all doesn't scare me in the least.. but.." He began, clenching and unclenching his fists. Hayate moved over to his friend, reaching out and placing a hand on the pale man's shoulder. A small smile appeared on Sasame's lips.

"Everything.. will be fine." Hayate said as everything finally dawned on him. It all seemed to strange to him, his best friend trying to have a child.

"More importantly.." Sasame said, shaking his head, "..I want you to know.. since we never really addressed the situation.." He began as he took in a long breath, "..I.. never hated you, Hayate.. I said I did when everything was so.. so.."

Hayate nodded, knowing that Sasame had never really meant what he had said those several years ago. There was a pause of silence, not as long as the others, as Hayate made a decision. He moved his hand, the left one that was on Sasame's shoulder and brought the slightly younger man to himself, embracing him in a hug of friendship. Sasame smiled over Hayate's shoulder, lifting his right arm and hugging Hayate in return. Before pulling away, Hayate slapped Sasame on the back a couple of times. The two retracted, smiling at each other.

"So.." Hayate began, placing his hands in his pockets. "..Tell me all about your and Takako's plans for this.. child." Hayate said, smiling as he kicked the grass and began walking again. "Your rabid radio fangirls may steal your child from you, or despair since that would mean that you are officially off the market." Sasame gave a light chuckle, following the Knight of Wind. "..Are you planning on marrying Takako before you.."

"Of course, Hayate." Sasame said in a slightly annoyed tone. "What kind of man do you think I am?"

"..I don't think you want to know." Hayate laughed lightly, looking up. "I would tell Himeno about this if I were you.. and pretend like you told her before anyone else.. or she'll get mad at me." Sasame winked at Hayate, nodding.

"..She.. err.. already knows." Sasame chuckled, scratching his forehead lightly as Hayate fell silent. The Knight of Wind turned to look at Sasame, blinking.

"You.. told Himeno.. before me?" Hayate asked. He gave Sasame a slightly hurt look as his friend smiled sheepishly. Hayate sighed, shrugging it off as they continued to walk along the field. "Anyway, continue with your plans.." Hayate said as Sasame brightened, speaking up.

* * *

Mannen was not the tidiest person in the world. His room was fairly well sized, at least by his standards. He had a twin-sized bed to the right of his door with unmade dark blue sheets. Next to his bed was a white bedside table, and across from his bed sat his dresser drawers, which a stereo sat upon. On the left side of his room was a spacious closet, which at the time was open and spilling its contents: his school uniforms, his regular clothes, a work uniform (he had recently been 'enslaved' by a video game store at the mall), and his baseball uniforms. On the adjacent wall was another door, which his towel and jacket hung on, which led into a bathroom he shared with Hajime and Shin. Stacks of magazines and dirty baseball cleats surrounded his bed, and a small path was cut in the mess, leading to the bathroom, closet, drawers and finally out of the room. 

The young Sasame wriggled into the sheets of Mannen's bed, the Knight of Ice sighing as he did. The pale young boy looked up at Mannen, smiling lightly to the older knight.

"..How old are you?" Sasame asked, causing Mannen to blink. Most Leafe Knights stop counting the years as they generally stop aging at sixteen, which was last year for him.

"I'm seventeen."

The boy nodded, smiling a little. "Thank you for letting me sleep in your room." He said as he picked at small fuzz knots on the blanket.

"You're awfully wordy for a six year old, aren't you?" Mannen muttered, causing the silver haired child to shoot a miffed gaze at him.

"I am seven." Sasame said in a slightly annoyed voice. The older man rolled his eyes, hissing something to himself under his breath. Another annoyed look came from the boy as he snapped his face away. "Don't call me a smartaleck brat." He said, his tone a little more perturbed.

Mannen blinked, realizing once again that this boy was the new Leafe Knight of Sound, and no matter how quietly Mannen spoke, Sasame could hear him if he wanted to hear him. "Psh, show's what you know. I didn't call you a smartaleck brat." Mannen said in a light mocking tone.

"Yes you did.."

"No, I called you a smartASS brat." Mannen hissed. This elicited a small whimper from the child, a pout forming on his lips. "Oh, geeze.. no.. no.. don't start crying." Mannen groaned, reaching over reluctantly and patting the boy lightly on the back. The boy paused for a moment, looking up at his older companion. A little smile appeared on his lips again. Mannen sighed in relief, not wanting to deal with Goh's overactive maternal instinct if he really had made the child cry.

Goh entered the room, carrying a tray in his hands, a bright smile on his face. "Are you hungry, Sasame?" He asked, gesturing at the bowl on the tray. Sasame blinked, pushing the covers off of him and sitting up on his knees to peer upward at the tray.

He felt his mouth water as he studied the contents of the tray. A bowl of chicken soup rest on the center of the tray. To the right of the soup sat a small plate with a slice of the homemade bread from dinner resting on it. The child's tongue darted out of his mouth momentarily to lick his lips in eager anticipation of his first meal.

Goh turned to rest the tray on a small table next to Mannen's bed, watching as the child practically pounced on the food. He smiled is amusement, noticing the boy was using a spoon.

"I guess.. being born at an advanced age gave you pre-taught table manners." Goh said, lifting his hands to knead them in the apron he had dawned for cleaning dishes while waiting for the soup to cook. He peered around the room at the small disaster area Mannen had made for himself, taking a moment to glare at Mannen for the state of the room.

Sasame dropped the spoon, slurping a small noodle into his mouth as he angled his head up to look at Goh. He smiled lightly, lifting his hand to wipe the broth from his lips. The Knight of Fire smiled, taking the napkin from the tray and handing it to the child. He snatched the napkin covering his face within its folds.

"You should finish your dinner and take a bath.. then get ready for bed.. you'll have a long day ahead of you." Goh commented, gesturing behind him at the bathroom. "Do you.. need help?" He asked slowly, studying the child's face for a response. He stared blankly in response.

"I'm not giving him a bath, don't look at me." Mannen said lightly, holding up his hands as he pushed off of the bed and exited the room. "Ask the Shinjime Effect to do it." He muttered. 'Shinjime Effect' was a title Mannen had given Shin and Hajime several years prior, noting how inseparable the two boys were, and how alike their tastes in.. well, everything was.

Goh scowled as the Knight of Ice left, taking the child by the hand and leading him into the bathroom. "I'll give you your bath." He said, leading him into the bathroom, where Shin was cleaning a cut on his hand he had received from the sound wave.

The Knight of Plants looked down, smiling at Goh and Sasame as they entered the bathroom from Mannen's room. "I'm just getting a band-aid.. don't mind me." Shin said in a soft voice, reaching into the medicine cabinet to take a bandage from a small first aid kit.

After Shin said this, Goh felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and a horrible, cold feeling passed through his body. It nearly froze him in place, and he felt his heart speed up suddenly. However, it passed just as quickly as it came, causing him to blink. He looked to Shin, who was watching him with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Goh..? Is something wr-" Shin began, but Goh cut him off.

"That's okay, Shin.. I.. I'm just getting him cleaned up and ready for bed.." The older knight smiled, tilting his head in the direction of the bathtub. Shin raised an eyebrow, smiling as Goh leaned forward to pull up the hot water and cold-water nozzles, moving them so the temperature would not be too hot or cold.

Sasame jolted, covering his ears as the water began pouring from the faucet. He stepped away from the bathtub, his face puzzled.

"..It's a bathtub. The water comes out of the faucet and fills the tub so you can take a bath." Shin explained, moving his hand to cover the boy's head. "Is it loud?" He asked.

"..I don't have.. full control of volumes yet.." Sasame replied softly, peering over the edge of the bathtub at the water. As he did, Goh reached over and tugged at the shirt the child was wearing, a smile on his lips.  
  
"Do you mind?" Goh asked as Sasame stared at him blankly. "You don't wear clothes in the bathtub, you know."

Sasame bit his lip, nodding as he removed his clothing slowly, unsure of how to do it. When he finally managed to remove the last of his garments, Goh lifted him into the air and began to place him in the tub of hot water. The child tucked his legs up in surprise when his toes touched the hot water. He looked to Goh, easing himself as Goh continued to rest him into the tub.

As he child began to move his hands over the surface of the water, Goh reached for the shampoo placed on the right end of the tub, opening the lid with his thumb. When he did so, Kei appeared at the doorway, looking in at Goh.

"..Goh.. come here. I need to talk to you about something." Kei said lightly, looking at Sasame, then at Goh. The Knight of Fire looked to the child, sighing.

"Don't worry, Goh.. I can handle this." Shin stepped in, smiling as he rolled up the sleeves of his emerald turtleneck and kneeled on the bathroom floor next to the bathtub. The older knight smiled in appreciation, handing the shampoo to the Knight of Plants as he stood and exited the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. A smile formed on Shin's lips. "You get to take baths alone.. I used to have to take them with Mannen and Hajime.. Mannen would freeze one half of the tub and Hajime would be making waves on the other side.. and I would be in the middle.."

"You are very powerful.." Sasame observed, his amethyst eyes sparkling in a sudden reverence. "..I feel.. the most Leafe coming from you.." He added.

Shin felt his face begin to redden as the child mentioned this. It was true that Shin had always been 'the strongest knight' Leafe-wise, but he did not like mentioning it much. He did not have a leader mentality, and enjoyed staying behind Hajime and assisting from the sidelines. "..I.. um.."

"..sorry. I can tell by your tone that was rude of me to ask.." Sasame lowered his voice to a whisper, blowing on the surface of the water to make small ripples. Shin shook his head, grinning.

"I don't understand how you can speak so eloquently but not understand the concept of taking your clothes off for a bath.." Shin commented, dipping his hands in the water.

"..The Knight of Sound is able to master a language just by hearing small bits of it.. it is something I was born with.." Sasame replied, half-lidding his eyes. A light knock on the door came from the right side of the bathroom, alerting Shin to look up to the door.

"..yes?" Shin asked.

"Sorry, Shin.. are you.. um.." Hajime's hesitant voice followed, trailing off near the end of his sentence.

"It's okay, Hajime.. I'm just giving Sasame a bath.." Shin answered as Hajime opened the bathroom door, peering in.

"Oh.." Hajime blinked, flashing a slightly embarrassed smile. Shin gestured for Hajime to sit on the ground next to him, to give him some company. Hajime obliged, sitting cross-legged on the bathmat next to Shin.

Sasame turned his unrelenting gaze on Hajime, "..and you are the Knight of Water..?"

Instead of answering, Hajime lifted his hand, adding a slight wave to his hand. The water around Sasame swirled, and drops of water rose from the bathtub, dropping on Sasame's head. The child wrinkled his nose as a water drop fell on its tip. "Answer your question?"

A large smile appeared on the child's face as he nodded, shaking his hair as the water ran over his head. Shin raised an eyebrow in amusement, squeezing some shampoo onto his palm as he proceeded to show Sasame the ins and outs of taking a bath.

* * *

Himeno stood on the balcony of her dorm room, sighing deeply as Yayoi, who was her roommate since both had joined the university, said her goodbyes. Yayoi had become something of a party animal, and was not around the dorm room too often. 

"Stupid male.. 'I'm going to be back soon'.." Himeno muttered, kicking a stone off of the balcony. "See if I let him spend the night, that.. that.. Hayate." She said, her eyes darkening.

Almost as if uttering his name signaled it, a light wind passed through her hair, alerting her to turn around, where Hayate was standing. "Oh, look what.. ugh. Nevermind. Did you talk to Sasame?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you mad at me for being gone longer than you wanted?" Hayate asked quietly.

"...you're growing to be more perceptive Hayate.. good. Hanging around gay guys has done you well." Himeno smiled, running a hand through her wind-mussed primrose hair.

"..Indeed." He replied flatly.

"So.." Himeno began, looking to the side, "Are we bringing Sasame Part 2 to meet Sasame Part 1 tomorrow?" she finished, her eyes rolling back in Hayate's direction.

"..Sasame Part 2?" Hayate asked in a slightly amused tone.

"I have to keep them straight." Himeno replied.

The Knight of Wind placed his hands to his hips, shrugging, "I suppose."

"Good." Himeno smiled, shutting her eyes. "You owe me." She said quickly, causing Hayate to blink.

"Owe you what?" Hayate muttered.

"Don't act like you don't remember, you stupid man." Himeno said, her tone growing annoyed. As Hayate continued to stare at her blankly, Himeno gave a snarl of annoyance. "You promised me you'd take me to King Frostie for dessert!!" Himeno snapped, pointing in the direction the ice cream emporium was.

Hayate paled, "King.. Frostie? Weren't we banned from there after Kei said the waitresses were 'improperly dressed and had drug trails up their arms', and Mannen tried to blow it up.. as a joke?"

"..That was the Fryer's Bucket.." Himeno sighed. "But you're not getting me off subject! You owe me as much ice cream as I can eat!"

Hayate's eyes lowered, "That's attractive."

"What?" Himeno blinked.

"The birthday girl bloated on ice cream.. you were complaining about your pants being too tight at dinner." Hayate said, realizing how stupid what he had said was a moment too late.

Himeno stared at him, her face reddening. "For that.. you're buying me the 110 Gallon Gorge.. now move." She hissed, pointing to the door. As Hayate turned around, she swung her hand forward, giving a slap to Hayate's behind as he moved toward the door. He gave out a surprised shriek, squinting at Himeno as he recovered.

"I hate you." He muttered.

"Love you too, dear." Himeno replied, grinning.

* * *

"..Is something wrong, Kei?" Goh asked, wiping his hands on his apron as he followed Kei into their bedroom. 

"..I just felt something." Kei replied. Goh looked from side to side, a smile appearing on his face.

"Kei.. we can't.. the kids are all still awake.. and.." Goh began as Kei shot him a rather shocked look.

"Not that, Goh.." He said, his voice giving off a slightly embarrassed undertone.

"Oh.. then what?" Goh asked.

Kei bit his lip, turning to point at his laptop that was resting on their bed. "I was working on the Demon Larva Detection software.. when the signal suddenly indicated a heavy flux in the balance here.. The screen was literally covered in Demon Larva hotspots.. It stood like that for a minute, and then suddenly fell back to 0." Kei explained.

"Could it have just been a glitch?" Goh asked, looking to his lover, feeling his skin grow cold at the seriousness in Kei's voice and face.

"..It is possible.. but I thought I had worked all of the glitches out.. but the thing is, moments before it.. 'glitched', I felt my body grow extremely cold.. and I.. I don't know.. I felt very.. afraid, almost." Kei replied, directing his eyes at the floor to avoid Goh's gaze. Kei hated discussing his feelings with anyone, he was just like that, or at least he had always been that way since Goh could remember.

Goh felt his stomach sink. He realized suddenly that it must have coincided with when he felt his body grow numb. "..Kei.. I.." Goh began, feeling that he was short of breath.

"..What is it?" Kei asked, his eyes moving slowly back to where they had been.

"I.." Goh mumbled, not able to say it himself, "Nothing.. i.. it must have been a glitch in the system. And.. maybe.. maybe something from dinner upset your system and you're starting to feel ill from it.." Goh replied, trying to sound certain, but of course it didn't seem to fool Kei.

"..Perhaps.." Kei said lightly. "..I.. think I am going to take a shower.. perhaps that will clear my mind." He said suddenly, folding his arms and approaching the bathroom door. "Maybe.. you would like to do the same?" Kei asked, looking back at Goh, the slightest smile appearing on his lips. As he did so, he turned and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Goh turned his head to look at the laptop sitting on the bed. He felt his stomach churn. "..I.. it had to have been a glitch.. It couldn't be.. no.. no it couldn't be." He said to himself quickly, trying to reassure himself. Suddenly, he rethought what Kei had just said.

"_I think I am going to take a shower.. maybe you would like to do the same?"_

"..Holy shit." Goh mumbled under his breath, his neck twisting back to look at the bathroom door, where he could hear the water running. He smiled as he rushed to the door, Kei's hidden meaning dawning on him. He tugged the door open and rushed inside, shutting it behind him.

* * *

"Here.." Shin whispered, tucking the small Sasame into the unmade bed. "Mannen will probably be home later.. I'm sure he'll try to not wake you up." 

"He drools like nuts." Hajime said.

"..Drools?" Sasame blinked, looking up to Shin.

"..nevermind that." Shin said, looking sideways at Hajime. "If you need anything, feel free to come get me, okay?" He added, smiling comfortingly.

"Thank you.." Sasame replied as Shin approached the door. "for.. everything." He added.

"Goodnight." Shin smiled, flipping the light off as he made his way through the bathroom into his and Hajime's room.

"Night, kiddo." Hajime said, waving with two fingers as he followed the younger knight.

Sasame looked up through the window, seeing the moon hanging in the sky. "..why.. am I awake now?" He asked to himself, his eyelids growing heavy. He rolled over onto his side, burying his face into Mannen's pillow. He quickly drifted off to sleep, knowing that tomorrow would begin his long and arduous training.

Tomorrow would be the first day of his life.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Chapter three is done and I'm not dead yet! I hope you all read my sis' fic 'Your Light', which I helped write.. well, some of it.. she wouldn't even write it unless I poked her with a stick every five minutes to work on it. Let's see.. look forward to more Leafe Knight goodness in the next chapter, as we move nearer and nearer to the TRUE Reflets Sombres. (if you know what that means and what language it is, I'll give you a cookie)

Also! I have one Pretear fanart up on my deviantart site, and it's a Kei/Goh one! If you care to view, go to the linky-poo on my user information page.. I would have more up but I'm too lazy to.. move.


	4. Fly to Leafenia

* * *

Voler à Leafenia

* * *

Sasame opened his eyes to darkness, yawning as his ears adjusted to the foreign sounds that woke him. He felt his body curl in the sheets, a wave of nervousness falling over him. His heart began to beat faster and faster as he heard a light shuffling sound nearing him.

Then suddenly, he felt a heavy weight press against his body. "Mmmmmf!" He whined, reaching his small hands up, trying to push the warm weight from him.

"Whoa, whoa!" He heard a familiar voice sound as the weight lifted from him. Sasame poked his head out of the covers, feeling a refreshing, cold air hit his face. "..oh.. forgot you were there." The voice said as a light flicked on. Mannen stood before him, wearing only loose dark blue boxers.

"You nearly crushed me!" Sasame snapped, his face flushing. The older knight rolled his eyes, holding his hands up as if to say 'so what'.

"I forgot you were in my bed, kid! I didn't do it on purpose!" Mannen replied, his brow furrowing in annoyance.

The small child frowned, curling into a small ball in the corner of the bed, his face buried in the pillow. Mannen sighed woefully.

"Don't tell me you're going to cry." He muttered.

"..I thought you were a Demon Larva.." Sasame whispered from the pillow. The Knight of Ice paused, thinking of how to solve this problem.

"I suppose you are still a bit young to be able to detect another Leafe Knight's power patterns to identify us.. and I remember that the dark used to scare... err.. Shin and Hajime very badly. So.. don't feel embarrassed or anything." Mannen whispered, climbing into the bed and resting a hand on the shivering back of the new knight.

He looked up at Mannen, his amethyst eyes focusing on him, "Shin and.. Hajime?" He asked.

"Yeah, Shin and Hajime.. I was never afraid of the dark, no damn way." Mannen replied, averting his gaze from the young child to the ceiling. "Don't worry.. this kind of darkness won't hurt you. And you have the best Leafe Knight with you."

A yawn came from the boy as he nestled near the older knight, "Okay.. I'll trust you." He said quietly as he fell into a deep sleep.

"Yeah.. great.." Mannen mumbled, noting how the child was taking up a good three-fourths of the bed, and was cuddled close to him to boot. "..Just.. perfect." He hissed, resting his head on his pillow.

* * *

The smell of bacon, eggs and toast filled the air the next morning. It was not a particularly pleasant day; it had begun raining early morning, around 2:00.

Kei sat in the dining room, woefully examining the large horizontal break in the circular window, figuring in his head the amount it would cost to repair the damage. He and Goh had woken to the sound of thunder early that morning, and the two were forced to find some makeshift way to keep the rain from entering the apartment through the window. They had settled on taping tin foil to the broken area of the window. It may not have been attractive, but at least it would keep the carpet from becoming soaked with rain.

Presently, only Kei and Goh were awake, though Goh was sure he heard Hajime and Shin talking in their room, so one of the two was bound to surface at any moment. Goh, meanwhile, had begun preparing breakfast, making sure to begin preparation of the morning tea, which Kei was pretty much useless without.

"It's a lovely morning for training a new knight, isn't it, Goh?" Kei mumbled, entering the kitchen from the dining room. He walked to the bar, pulling out a stool to sit on as Goh busily moved about the kitchen.

"We never know.. it might not be raining in Leafenia.." Goh replied, turning and smiling to Kei as a batch of toast popped from the toaster. It was more than obvious that Goh was much more of a morning person than Kei, and on more than one occasion, it took extra 'prying' to convince Kei to rise from bed before 7:30... 9:00 if it was a Saturday.

Kei tapped the counter top with his left index and ring fingers, his eyes focusing on the ring, inscribed with the character of Light, which encircled his middle finger. "I do not think Mannen will be up to assisting us this morning." He said lightly as Goh poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"Why do you say that?" Goh asked.

"Because he came in at 4:00 this morning.. and he stumbled into the walls quite a few times so I believe that he was a little bit tipsy." Kei replied, lifting his tea cup to his lips and taking a sip of the hot liquid.

"..That little bastard." Goh muttered, clenching his glass as his eyes lit in anger. "..I'll have to kill him later."

"And you never got drunk and stayed out late, Goh?" Kei whispered, blowing a drift of steam away from the cup. "I know you did at least once."

Goh smiled, looking toward the ceiling, ".. the last time I did I learned my lesson because some scary man in a Mercedes took me to his apartment and never let me go."

"..you liked it." Kei muttered, setting his cup on the countertop as a very peppy Shin entered the kitchen, waving to Goh as he did.

"Good morning, everyone!" He said in his usual lively tone. "I love rainy mornings.. they're so peaceful, aren't they?" Shin asked, smiling to Kei while he pulled out a stool to sit on.

"It's the ray of sunshine." Goh smiled, holding out a glass. "Can I pour you some orange juice?"

Shin shook his head, "I think I'll have water, thanks." He replied, hopping off the stool and bustling to the fridge for the filtered water.

"Did Sasame get to bed alright last night, Shin?" Kei asked, lifting an eyebrow as he skimmed through the morning newspaper. Shin took a sip of his water, nodding.

"Yes, he did.. oh, by the way.. Kei.. did you slip in the shower last night? Hajime and I heard several loud thuds coming from your bathroom." Shin asked, blinking as Kei coughed suddenly when he tried to sip his tea. Goh's eyes widened, his face reddening as he spun around to grab a plate.

"BACON, SHIN?" Goh said loudly, his voice high as he spun back around with a plateful of bacon.

"There was a spider.." Kei said, quickly trailing Goh. A paused followed where Shin blinked, looking from Kei to Goh.

"Um.. okay." Shin whispered, reaching out to take a slice of bacon. He lifted it to his lips and gingerly took a bite off the end.

"Uhhn.. coffee.." Hajime mumbled as he came slugging into the room, looking like one of the undead. He wore one green sock and one blue sock. That combined with his red checkered sleep pants, backwards tee shirt and the most serious case of bed head ever painted a fairly typical "Hajime in the morning" picture. He was even less of a morning person than Kei, and Shin often complained (good naturedly) that HE had to get up an extra hour early to dress Hajime on school days.

"Good morning, Haji-san." Shin beamed, glancing at Hajime as the Knight of Water stumbled to the coffee pot and groped for a mug. At only the age of fourteen, Hajime had become something of a coffee junkie, completely unable to function without it.

"...yeah.. morning.." Hajime replied, his eyes glimmering lightly as he poured the hot coffee into his blue mug. "Hey.. did you slip in the.."

"Spider. It was a spider." Goh said quickly, thrusting the plate of bacon in front of Hajime's nose.

"Ooh.. bacon." Hajime whispered, taking the plate from Goh's hands. As he nibbled on two slices of bacon at once, Kei set the newspaper on the counter, pushing away from his stool to stand.

"We are to meet Hayate and Himeno in Leafenia at 9:00.. someone should wake Sasame and Mannen soon." He commented as all eyes turned to the local wake-up call boy.

"..Why are you looking at me?" Shin whined, his face flushing as Hajime approached him from behind.

"You can head into the lair of the beast and try to wake him from his sleep." Hajime commented, poking Shin's shoulder with his finger. Shin gave a light whimper as he nodded, silently obliging to the request made by the three older knights.

He traipsed lightly through the living room, hesitating at Mannen's door before opening it, having to use a bit of force to open it due to a large amount of debris blocking the other side of the door.

The room was nearly pitch black; Mannen liked it that way. He had thick shades to block out any sunlight entering his room, otherwise he could not sleep. It was also always several degrees colder in this room than in any other room in the apartment, seeing as how the Knight of Ice enjoyed keeping his habitat nice and cool.

Shin squinted in the dark, attempting to avoid the mess to make his way to Mannen's bed. When he finally made it there (with much toe stubbing), he reached his hands down, shoving the nearest mound in the mess of sheets on the bed. An annoyed groan came from the covers, alerting Shin that it was Mannen he had nudged.

"Get the hell out." Mannen muttered, his hand appearing from under the covers, swatting at Shin's hands.

"I'm sorry if you stayed out till all hours of the night, but I need Sasame. We have to get him ready.. are you even going to help with this, Mannen?" Shin asked, falling back as Mannen rolled over and heaved the curled, warm child that had been peacefully sleeping next to him upward.

Sasame made a sound not unlike that of an irritated cat that had been woken from a deep sleep, moving himself in an attempt to shake loose of Mannen's grasp to make it back to the warm covers. Shin reached out, taking the small child from Mannen's hands, bringing him up to his torso, where the child wrapped his legs around his waist. The Knight of Sound burrowed his silvery head in Shin's chest, muttering something about being tired as Shin moved toward the door.

"I'll be up in a minute.. tell them not to leave without me.." Mannen called after him.

"Right, right.." Shin nodded, shutting the door as he carried Sasame to the kitchen. He balanced the child on one arm as he pushed the swinging kitchen door open with the other hand.

Sasame peeked over his shoulder when Shin entered the kitchen, blinking at the bright lights of the room. "..Ahn..?" He whimpered as Goh smiled, approaching Shin. The Knight of Fire took the child from Shin's arms, swinging him around before resting him on one of the bar stools.

"Good morning, Sasame." Hajime smiled, reaching forward to toss the child's hair as Kei smiled and nodded at him.

"..morning." Sasame replied, tilting his head back to yawn as Goh placed a small plate on the counter in front of the child.

"Would you like some bacon or toast, Sasame?" Goh asked, taking the plate of bacon from Hajime, who whined in objection.

"..mm.. I.. guess." Sasame replied, blinking at the plate while Goh set a slice of toast and a slice of bacon on it. Afterwards, Goh placed two small jars before the child and Sasame leaned forward, peering at the labels, trying to make sense of the writing from the language he knew. "..gr.. grape.. jell..jelly. Con..fi.. ture.. du.. rai..sin.. pe..ach jelly.. confi..ture.. du.. pêche.." Sasame said slowly, Shin giggling as he did.

"It's jelly, Sasame. This is grape and this is peach." He said, pointing to each jar as he identified both. "You put it on your toast to make it taste better.." Shin explained, Sasame's eyes widening as he began to piece together what Shin was saying. "See, you use this little knife here to scoop the jelly out of the jar.." He began, lifting his own piece of toast and dipping the knife into the peach jelly. "Then you spread the jelly on your toast." Shin finished, smoothing his toast in the rosy jelly.

"..I.. see." Sasame replied, a smile appearing on his face. He reached a small hand forward, taking the knife from Shin's hand and dipping it into the grape jelly jar. He lifted a small amount of jelly from the jar, a globule of the deep purple mixture falling to the countertop as he brought the knife to his toast. Sasame carefully spread the jelly on his toast, smiling as he finished his task.

"Good job!" Shin beamed, taking a bite of his peach jelly covered toast. Sasame nodded, following Shin's example by nibbling at his own slice of toast. His eyes brightened when the jelly touched his tongue, and he quickly finished off his small breakfast.

Hajime smiled at Shin, admiring the comforting feeling the blond boy obviously gave Sasame. Ever since they were children, Shin always acted a bit older than his age, and now he seemed to have taken it upon himself to help familiarize Sasame with his alien surroundings. He was focusing so much on Shin's jelly lesson to Sasame that he didn't notice Goh calling his name.

"Hajime.. Hajime." Goh said, reaching out and poking Hajime's shoulder as he repeated his name. "Hey!" The older knight said as Hajime snapped back into consciousness.

"..oh.. what?" Hajime blinked, turning to look at Goh.

"..you're pouring coffee onto your leg." Kei said, causing Hajime to suddenly realize the pain on his leg.

"Ah!" Hajime cried out, placing the coffee pot onto the table, yanking a napkin from Goh's hand and covering his leg with it, attempting to soak some of the hot coffee from his pajama pants into the cloth.

"..Goodness.. you really are a terrible morning person, Haji-san." Shin smiled, hopping from his stool. "I'm going to take a shower.. unless of course you would like to use it first, Haji." The smaller young man said as he approached the door, an eyebrow raised in humor at Hajime.

"..N..no. That's alright, Shin.. I'll use it after you." Hajime replied, looking down at his leg.

"..Hopefully there aren't any.. 'spiders'.. in the shower." Shin teased, looking at Kei and Goh.

"Go bathe." Goh muttered, his face reddening as Shin disappeared from the kitchen with an infectious giggle. Following Shin's exit, Mannen shuffled into the kitchen, brushing a few locks of snow white hair from his forehead as he made his way to the counter, where he snatched a handful of bacon and several slices of toast. He placed three or four slices of bacon into his mouth as he reached into the cabinet to take a glass.

"Oh, happy day, all." Mannen said as he tilted the orange juice so it would pour into his glass.

"Have a nice evening, Mannen?" Goh asked, squinting as the Knight of Ice downed the glass of orange juice and began to pour another.

"Indeed I did." Mannen replied, smiling coyly to Goh, "Enjoy your late night shower, Goh? Sure sounded like you did." Mannen said.

"..Shut up, Mannen." Kei said slowly, arching an eyebrow at Mannen in annoyance.

While Mannen finished off his breakfast, Sasame hopped from his stool and shuffled closer to the Knight of Ice. "..are you coming to help me train, Mannen?" He asked, blinking.

"Huh?.. yeah." He muttered as he swiveled his orange juice glass in his hand. As he set his glass on the countertop, Sasame smiled, turning to shuffle from the kitchen to the living room.

"Oh, Sasame?" Goh called after him, leaving the kitchen to follow the young child. Sasame paused next to the white couch, tilting his head around to look at Goh.

"Yes?"

"We have to leave for Leafenia in half an hour.. it would be best if you started to get ready.." Goh said, "Do you need any help?"

Sasame looked at the ceiling, pondering, "..I think I will be alright." He replied, turning and walking away slowly. "Shin left my clothes in Mannen's top drawer.. I can change myself." He murmured as he continued to walk towards the bedroom door.

"Oh.. alright.." Goh trailed off, turning to face the kitchen door, ".. and Sasame?" He added as Sasame paused once more. Goh turned back to smile, "You're going into Hajime and Shin's room.. Mannen's is one to the right." He said gently, reentering the kitchen.

Sasame blinked, his eyes turning to the door to the right. "Oh.." He squeaked.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mannen drummed his fingers on the countertop as he chewed his breakfast loudly, staring off into space. Hajime, having recovered from his self-inflicted coffee injury, sat next to him, slowly growing more and more irked by the loud chewing noise. Kei slowly lowered his newspaper and watched Hajime as the young Knight of Water began to twitch each time Mannen chewed.

"Are you two almost finished? You don't have long to get ready." Goh said stiffly as the kitchen door swung open and he entered.

"I'll just need a quick five minute shower after Shin is finished in the bathroom and then I'll be ready." Hajime commented, twitching once more as Mannen sucked on his tooth.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be ready, don't worry." Mannen added, waving his hand. The younger knight's head lifted as he set his hand back on the table to continue drumming with his fingers.

"The water stopped. I guess Shin is done with the shower." Hajime said quietly, sliding from the stool. He held out his hand, lifting all five fingers to indicate the five minutes he would need to clean and dress. As he did, Mannen set down his spoon, jumping to his feet and rushing to the door after Hajime.

"I'll be back in a jiffy." Mannen grinned, disappearing from the kitchen.

Kei raised an eyebrow, sipping the last bit of his tea and finishing off the small biscuit he had been nibbling on. "Well, then.. It is almost time." He said, shutting his eyes.

"Yeah.." Goh replied, nodding.

"..Are you ready for another Naming Ceremony?" Kei whispered, placing his slender hands in his pockets. This brought a shrug from the younger knight.

"I suppose." Goh sighed, winking while he lifted the breakfast dishes from the table and over to the sink.

They went about their usual morning activities; Kei finished the morning paper while Goh washed the breakfast dishes. Hajime made a record 4.30-minute wash-up routine while Shin blow-dried his hair (Shin had become somewhat vain over the years, Goh blamed it on living with Kei.), and Mannen slid on clothes from the day before and brushed out his hair, since he didn't really see this as a special occasion.

Five minutes before they were scheduled to meet Himeno, Hayate and Sasame in Leafenia, the five knights and the soon-to-be-knighted child stood in the living room.

"Alright.. so, there is no need to be nervous, okay?" Goh said, leaning on one knee as he tugged on Sasame's collar.

"I understand.." Sasame whispered, blinking sleepily as Goh ran his hands along his shoulders to smooth out a few wrinkles in his shirt induced by the large size of the clothing in comparison to Sasame's small figure.

Shin held out a hand to Sasame as Goh rose to his feet, smiling down at the boy. Sasame blinked in response, not understanding what Shin intended him to do.

"Take my hand." Shin said, curling his fingers slightly. "It will be easier to get to Leafenia if you let me help you." He explained as Sasame obliged, taking Shin's hand with his own hand.

The two youngest knights looked up to Kei and Goh for further instructions. Kei sighed, his eyes swiveling to Goh. "If we are ready.. then let us go."

"Alright.. let's make this quick." Mannen said quickly, folding his arms and tapping a foot.

"Why, Mannen? Have a date or something? That would be a first." Hajime teased, sticking his tongue out.

"..Shut up, ballerina.." Mannen muttered, referencing to Hajime's recent interest in taking dance lessons. Hajime's face reddened.

"Why, you-" Hajime began, but Goh held up a hand, causing both the Knight of Ice and the Knight of Water to pause and blink.

"Wait till later, you two." Goh hissed. "Let's go." He said, smiling at Sasame, who smiled shyly in response. Mannen growled in annoyance as a cool wind passed through the room, and in a flash of white light, he disappeared.

"..See you in Leafenia." Hajime added, winking to Shin and Sasame, and in a flash of light blue light, was gone as well.

Kei and Goh nodded to Shin, whose grip on Sasame tightened as the child felt a wave of warmth fill him. He shut his eyes as he tightened his own grip on Shin's hand almost instinctively. After the warm wave of energy had passed through him, he felt his surroundings change dramatically.

The smell of flowers and fresh rain filled his senses, and his body almost felt lighter. The air around him almost seemed to awaken him, and he felt his powers increase to a point they had never been. Sasame opened his eyes, blinking back as a bright light filled his eyes. With the light came thousands of sounds; birds singing, dew dripping from leaves, and even butterflies slowly moving their wings.

All around him were colors; bright yellows, pinks, blues and greens. Lush grass grew far as his eyes could see, and several large, ancient trees grew in the area around the grassy knoll they had transported to. The sky was the most vibrant blue he had ever seen. Large creatures with shimmering fins flew through the skies, and tiny round birds fluttered around his head.

"..Ah.." Sasame blinked as he looked around, noticing the other Leafe Knights standing around him. "Is.. this..?" He began as Shin smiled down at him.

"Sasame.." He began, holding a hand out the span the horizon, "Welcome to your home.." He continued as he released Sasame's hand. "..Welcome to Leafenia.."

* * *

A/N: Well, that ends chapter four.. Chapter five will be Sasame's Naming Ceremony, and it will also be the end of the first part of the story. The first part was really a tiny tidbit to explain Sasame's arrival and all, and the second part is much longer, and it the true plot of Reflets Sombres (Dark Reflections, in the French). Anyhoo, thanks for reading chapter four and please keep checking back for more updates! Also, read the conclusion to my sis' fic 'Light My Fire', which should be up soon if I can force her to finish it..

* * *


	5. The Name of Sound

* * *

Le Nom de Son

* * *

"..Leafenia.." Sasame repeated, feeling the name slide over his tongue, the sound of it sending shivers down his spine. "..It is.. beautiful." He whispered. 

"Yes.." Goh replied, approaching him from behind. "This is our home.. this is where the Leafe Knights were born.." He said lightly, breathing in the sweet air. As he did, a small pink bird zoomed past Sasame's field of vision, tweeting happily.

"Ah?! What is that?" Sasame blinked, falling back as Shin held out a hand.

"Don't be scared. He's a Tyipi." Shin explained as the round bird landed on Shin's outstretched hand. It was nearly the size of a small tennis ball, but looked like it weighed no more than a feather. Large blue eyes gazed at Sasame, and it fluttered its wings, tweeting again.

"..oh.. is that.. because of the sound he makes?" Sasame asked as Shin ran the tip of his finger along the Tyipi's head. The Knight of Plants nodded, moving his hand as the Tyipi lifted from his palm and fluttered his wings furiously to find another wind current to sail along.

"There are several different types of Tyipi.. red, pink, blue, green.." Shin added, his body suddenly flashing bright green. His white hoodie and blue jeans changed into his green Leafe Knight robes and his disproportionately large hat.

Sasame looked at the remaining Leafe Knights, noticing how each had changed into his respective Leafe Knight garment. Kei pulled his ivory cloak around his shoulders, and he folded his arms together tightly, his eyes moving slightly to the side.

"It is unusually cold this morning." Kei commented as a loud call came from the other end of the knoll. The five knights and the child looked in the direction of the call as Himeno came into view, waving.

"Good morning, everyone!" She called, racing up to the Leafe Knights and coming to a quick halt. She placed her hands on her shoulders, grinning as Hayate followed.

"Good morning, Himeno." Hajime replied, his smile widening.

"Lady Prétear.." Sasame mumbled, bowing his head as another figure approached and stood next to Hayate.

He was nearly the same height as the Knight of Wind, and wore a calm, placid expression on his pale face. Small thin framed glassed rested on the bridge of his nose, bringing attention to dark violet eyes which seemed to pierce through Sasame's heart. Pale shocks of silver hair fell around his face, lying neatly on his brow. He wore a dark gray sweater with a white button up top underneath, the collar folding over the collar of the sweater, pressed black slacks and shined black dress shoes.

"..You are.." Sasame whispered, his hands growing cold as the man smiled pleasantly at him, sending shivers down his spine. "..Sa..Sasame.."

He nodded, shutting his eyes, "Yes.. I am." He replied. "And it is wonderful to meet you, Sasame."

The child blushed, his eyes narrowing to look at the ground. A light hand rested on his shoulder, alerting him upward. His eyes swiveled back up toward the hand on his shoulder, smiling as he noticed Shin standing next to him.

"Are you going to come to his Naming Ceremony, Sasame?" Shin asked.

The older Sasame let off a vague smile, nodding, "Yes."

"Where is Takako?" Kei asked, causing the younger Sasame to flinch. He knew of Fenril, The Princess of Disaster, from the moment of his creation. The Leafe had whispered the truth to him, helping him to understand his purpose.

"..She will be along later. She was.. not feeling well this morning." Sasame replied quietly. Hayate's eyes flashed, his gaze turning to the ex Knight of Sound.

"..I see." Hayate said slowly, Sasame looking back at him as Hayate gave him a knowing smirk.

"Well, we'll see her later, then." Goh gave a shrug. He walked toward the entrance of a small wood that lay behind them, gesturing at a dirt path that led into the trees. "In the meantime, we should head to the Naming Dais.. It is a long walk." He said as Kei nodded in agreement.

"Goh is right.." Kei said, quickly turning to face Hayate. "Hayate.. did you remember to get the.." He began as Hayate nodded, holding out a small violet silk cloth package in the palm of his hand. "Ah.. good."

Hayate folded his hand around the silk wrapped item, placing it in his pocket. As he did, the elder Sasame sighed lightly, his eyes lowering.

Meanwhile, the five remaining Leafe Knights and the young Sasame had approached the entrance of the forest. Himeno followed them, outstretching her hand to Sasame with a smile on her face. When she reached him, he held up his hand, taking hold of it. The seven looked back at the remaining two standing in the knoll.

"Hayate.. Sasame.. are you coming?" Himeno asked, raising an eyebrow.

"..Yes." Sasame replied quietly, placing his hands in his pockets as the two joined with the rest of the group. Once they arrived, the group continued down the path, moving without any particular rush.

"..This place is.. like a dream.." Shin marveled as they made their way into a clearing. The forest had begun to grow all around them, the trees so large and thick that they blocked out nearly all of the sky. There were only small patches of sunlight that managed to break through the denseness of the wood.

In this clearing, the trees bent around the circular opening, thinning out in the center, which allowed seven bright rays of sunlight to fall onto a circular, raised stone platform. On the platform there were eight pillars; seven lay evenly apart along the outer rim, and one, which was slightly larger than the rest, lay in the center.

"..What are the pillars for?" Hajime asked, blinking.

"You don't remember from Shin's Naming Ceremony, Hajime?" Goh asked, stepping onto the platform first. The Knight of Water shook his head.

"I was only two, Goh." Hajime replied.

Following the Knight of Fire, Kei climbed onto the platform, followed by Hayate, then Mannen. Goh smiled, nodding. "Of course." He said, stepping toward one of the pillars to the far right. "Each pillar represents one Leafe Knight.." He began.

"On each pillar is the symbol of that Leafe Knight's element in Ancient Leafenian." Kei added as he followed Goh, stopping at the pillar next to Goh's.

Finally, Hayate approached the nearest pillar, placing his hand on the top. A sudden blast of wind rose from the center of the pillar as his fingertips brushed the stone, quickly being replaced by a swirling, blue glow, which hovered a few inches from the top. "When the Leafe Knight touches his stone symbol, the Leafe will recognize him and respond." He finished as Kei and Goh touched their pillars at the same time, sending up rays of light and fire, both reacting similarly to the wind pillar by ending with small orbs of white light and red fire floating above the top.

"What does this pillar in the center do?" Himeno finally spoke up as she stepped toward the center pillar.

"That is the Prétear's symbol.." Kei answered. "None of us have ever had a Prétear when a Naming Ceremony has taken place.. so it has not been activated in some time."

"Oh." Himeno said gingerly, stepping on the dais. She approached the center pillar and lifted a hand, moving it slowly forward until the tips of her fingers brushed the cold stone. Almost instantly, a white light began to pour from the stone, arching and curling nearly two feet from the top of the pillar. From the small curls of light, tiny white snowflakes began to fall. They gathered into an orb, which seemed to take on an iridescent glow.

A sound of awe came from Shin, Hajime and Mannen, who had yet to rise onto the platform. As soon as Himeno removed her hand from the top of her pillar, the three knights scrambled onto the stone, rushing to their respective columns.

Shin's hand was the first to touch the stone, sending several curling vines into the air. They rose several inches high, and suddenly curled back from the center, a swirling orb of green light remaining.

Next came Hajime, whose touch brought a fountain of shimmering water spouting from the pillar. Once the fountain calmed, a mist hung over the Pillar of Water, and in the center a light blue orb of water hovered.

Finally, Mannen moved his fingers quickly over the top of his column, a trail of ice left from his tips. When he pulled his arm back, a pyramid of ice grew, and from its tip a white sphere of ice drifted.

Once each knight, excluding the child, had touched the symbol that was carved on the top of each pillar, the seven rays of light that managed to cut through the treetops changed from shades of pale white to the color of each respective element; for example, the ray of light that shone on Hayate's symbol dimmed from white to deep blue.

A hush now fell over the clearing, and Himeno felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. "..Wow.." She commented as Hayate faced the child who still stood next to the adult Sasame at the outskirts of the clearing.

"Now.. the preparation for the ceremony is complete.." Hayate said briskly as he addressed Sasame, "Sasame.. please approach the dais." He commanded. At this, the boy shrunk back a bit into the woods, his eyes lowering to the ground. A soft hand on his back alerted him to look back upward.

"..There is nothing to be worried about." The older Sasame smiled as he applied pressure to the small boy's back, urging him forward. He complied, allowing his feet to move forward as he drew near the platform. He had to place his hands on the base of stone rise to pull himself upward; the step was too high for him to manage without climbing.

As the child made his way from the clearing to the platform, Hayate turned his attention to Himeno, who was gazing into the orb of light emitted from her symbol. "Tulip head." He said, causing her to snap her gaze backward, a disapproving glare on her face. The edge of his mouth twitched into a slight smile, "Do you remember what I told you?" He asked.

Himeno blinked for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I do." She replied. This brought an inquisitive gaze from Goh.

"Told her what?" He asked. "What did you do, Hayate?"

As Goh finished his question, Hayate shut his eyes, sighing, "I felt that it would be appropriate for the Prétear to lead the Naming Ceremony. He is going to be her Knight, after all." Hayate concluded.

"So you.. went over the ritual of the ceremony, Hayate?" Kei asked, raising an eyebrow as if to question the competence of Hayate's decision. Though this may not be a case of such, Kei sometimes regretted handing over the right of seniority to Hayate, opting to not be the leader and decision maker of the group.

"Of course I did.." Hayate replied.

"..How?" Kei questioned.

"..I.. crammed it into her brain over ice cream last night." The Knight of Wind answered quickly, suddenly hoping Himeno really did remember everything he had told her to remember.

Himeno waved her hand dismissingly, smiling back at Kei, who, unbeknownst to him, wore a slightly apprehensive look on his face. She turned back to face the front as Sasame finally made his way toward Himeno. The Prétear's tender smile comforted him some, but a feeling of queasiness remained in the pit of his stomach. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the older Sasame standing off to the side, his back rested against a tree.

"Okay.. now that all are present.. the Naming Ceremony may begin." Himeno said, her voice rising. As if her voice activated them, the six Leafe Knights began to move in a clockwise circle around the Prétear's pillar in the center, each knight reaching out to touch a pillar as he passed on. Once they had gone around the dais a full time, they came to a stop by their own columns.

As Sasame watched, Himeno's hands rested on his shoulders. He looked upward, then back at the knights as she raised a hand, turning herself as she spoke. "Who here recognizes this foundling as a Child of Leafe?" She asked, her eyes scanning the six men.

"..The Ice recognizes him." Mannen spoke up first, outstretching his right hand. A small ring of swirling snow hovered in his palm, and he pursed his lips, daintily blowing the flakes forward. They danced about Sasame's head before disappearing into the air.

As soon as the flakes disappeared, Hayate's voice rose, "The Wind recognizes him." And as he finished, a warm breeze passed through the trees, tenderly playing with Sasame's hair as it died down.

"The Water recognizes him." Hajime added, his left hand rising as several tiny raindrops fell onto the boy's head, causing him to shake his hair in amusement.

"The Plants, too, recognize him." Said Shin as he lifted his hands clenched together in a ball. As he unfolded them, a pale pink blossom appeared in his palms, lifting into the air with no breeze. It drifted lazily to Sasame, lowering in front of his face before fading into emerald sparkles.

Next in the circle came Kei, who lifted his right hand, folding all fingers but his index. "The Light recognizes him." He said, twirling his hand around in a small circle, a ray of light following his index finger to form a halo that floated toward the center where it rested on Sasame's brow as it faded.

"The Fire recognizes him." Goh said as the circle finished, snapping his wrist forward and opening his hand, a tiny bird made of fire appearing from his palm. It fluttered to Sasame, bursting into sparks when it reached him. Goh was always known for his fire animals at Naming Ceremonies.

Finally, Himeno's hands touched his shoulders again as she spoke, "And, I, the White Princess Prétear, recognize him." A sudden feeling of warmth filled Sasame, the air around him growing thick with a refreshing energy. Himeno's Leafe.

A pause followed this, and Himeno looked from knight to knight, ending with Hayate. "Hayate.. please bring me the talisman." She said, the Knight of Wind silently obliged, reaching into his pocket to remove the small violet silk parcel he had been carrying all along. He bowed as his hands moved forward, resting the silk cloth in Himeno's hands. This caused a smirk of enjoyment to cross her face.

As Hayate made his way back to his column, Himeno took hold of Sasame's hands, her voice rising again, "Names have power," She said, clenching the cloth between her fingers. "And so does this child, so recognized as a son of Leafenia, and a guardian of the planet. A powerful soul demands a powerful name. So shall we afford this child with such a name.." Himeno continued, releasing his small hand to open the silk parcel. Within its folds was a glinting silver earring, small and ornate. It was a cuff earring, one that was meant to cover part of the lower half of the ear. She lowered it to Sasame's left ear, tenderly placing it around his lobe. It shrunk to fit his small ear. The cold metal caused him to jump slightly.

"Son of Leafenia.. wear this earring as a token of your power and also as a symbol of your true name. You are Sasame.. The Once and Future Leafe Knight of Sound." She finished, her voice trailing off to a whisper as she stepped away from him. "And I accept you as my Knight of Sound." She added, tilting her head and grinning.

"..Thank you." Sasame whimpered, falling forward to wrap his arms around Himeno's waist; this took several of the older Leafe Knights by surprise. Himeno, rather surprised herself at that moment, chose to just smile and pat him on the head.

"Now.." Mannen began, grinning to Hajime, "We can PARTY!" He whooped, causing Shin to giggle.

"Hold on a moment, Mannen.." Kei said, interrupting Mannen's oncoming victory dance. The Knight of Ice frowned, his arms falling to his sides as the older knight placed his fingers to his chin in thought.

"What is it, Kei?" Goh asked.

"..We need to think of how we are going to go about training Sasame. I am not sure he can stay with us in the human world at his current state." Kei said, thinking out loud. "It may be dangerous to keep him there while he is learning to use his powers and training for knighthood."

"Why is that..?" Himeno asked, her hand resting on the back of Sasame's head as the child looked around to Kei. The Knight of Light's eyes rose, focusing on the Prétear.

"His Leafe is rather haphazard at the moment. Instances of sudden bursts like the one yesterday will occur with little to no warning. He has to be trained to control his powers when his emotions change.. it is a common issue the Knight of Sound has to face." Kei explained as the elder Sasame approached Himeno from behind.

"Kei is right. The human world may be too.. busy for him to handle at the moment. All of the activity and static there will cause him problems. It would be best if he stayed in Leafenia to be trained. The power to control sound is one that takes a phenomenal amount of patience and focus." Sasame added, his hands moving to his pockets.

Himeno nodded, agreeing with the eldest knight and the previous Knight of Sound. "Yeah.. that makes sense, I guess." She said slowly.

"But… we only just met, and now he has to stay in Leafenia?" Hajime piped up, sounding a bit disappointed.

"You can visit him whenever you like… in fact, it would be a good thing… we wouldn't want him to become isolated from you all…" Sasame said, taking off his glasses and polishing them with his shirttail. "…You will… be fighting alongside each other…" Despite his adept control over his voice, Sasame could not hide a little bit of sadness.

"..Sasame.." Himeno lifted a hand, making a move to rest it on his shoulder, but before she could, Mannen pushed between them, a wide grin on his face.

"Well, then it's all figured out. Since we have determined what the little Sassy boy is going to do, then we can party!!...right?" Mannen said, his voice becoming more unsure as he finished.

Hayate chuckled at Mannen's eagerness to skip the discussions and head straight for the celebration. "..Right." He answered, causing the Knight of Ice to leap into the air with a cheer.

"…Sassy?" Shin blinked.

"Well, yeah… what, did you want to call him 'Sasame 2'?" Mannen paused in his celebration dance long enough to stick his tongue out at Shin.

"…This is true." Shin agreed, tilting his head.

"So, what are we waiting for? Sassy wants to go to his party!" Mannen said, dropping his arm around the fledgling knight's shoulders.

"..Sassy.." Sasame murmured, echoing the name. A smile formed on his lips as he nodded. "Yes.. my party.." He answered, looking up to Mannen. "..What is a party?"

"You don't know what a party is?" Mannen asked, his eyes rolling back. "Jeeze, kid, here I thought you were smart.. well, you'll see what a party is.." He chuckled, causing the small boy to smile nervously in response.

"Come on, Sasame." Shin seized Sasame's hand as he shuffled to the beginning of the path. "This will be fun!" He laughed, looking back at the others. Sasame nodded, his heart beating rapidly in nervous excitement about learning what this 'party' was.

* * *

Sasame most surely learned what a party was that night. The sun set early, allowing Kei to light up the trees with several different colored orbs of light, which floated around the trees like fireflies. Once Sasame tried to take one into his palms, but as his hands wrapped around the light, it burst into millions of tiny sparks. 

"Can Kei decorate, or can Kei decorate?" Goh asked with a little grin, putting his arm around his lover's waist.

"Kei can decorate…" The blond said, resting his head back on Goh's shoulder.

"Well, that's what happens when.." Mannen began as Hayate took hold of his shoulder.

"Speak quietly, Mannen..." He began slowly, adding, "Like they taught you at MILITARY SCHOOL." Hayate finished, and Mannen nodded.

"Gotcha." Mannen muttered.

At the other end of the lake front, Sasame (who was now affectionately nicknamed 'Sassy') sat in quiet contemplation, his feet dangling in the water.

"..I.. am going to be a knight.." He murmured to himself as he rested his chin on his hands. "..I was born to be a knight.. I knew this at my birth.." His voice drifted into silence. One of Kei's lights lowered before his eyes. It was a white orb of light, and it spun gingerly on a diagonal axis.

Sasame's eyes became transfixed on the light, so much that everything around it began to grow dark. As he drifted more into this veritable 'other world', he heard a soft voice in the back of his head, and he was unsure if it was his, or if it was only his imagination.

_"Is this what you were born for? Is this what you want to be?"_

"..What?" Sasame spoke quietly, but was suddenly disrupted from his gaze by a voice behind him.

"Sasame!" Shin called out, causing Sasame's eyes to flash in surprise, and the bright light hovered away as quickly as it had come. As the new Knight of Sound sat in silence surprise, the Knight of Plants approached from behind, grasping his shoulders.

"..Yes, Shin?" Sasame smiled, looking over his shoulder slowly.

"Are you having fun?" He asked, moving from Sasame's shoulders to sit beside him. Shin kicked off his green Persian toed shoes and dipped his own feet into the cool water of the lake.

"I suppose I am.." Sasame replied, noting that Hajime was across the lake with Kei and Goh, and had his gaze set on Shin. When Hajime noticed Sasame catching his stare, he immediately turned his head, and appeared to be talking to Kei and/or Goh now. "..Hajime acts strangely around you."

Shin gave a small giggle, covering his mouth with his hand. "Oh.. Hajime is a little odd. I think he has attention span problems."

"..Right." Sasame replied, lowering his gaze to the smooth, black water surface. He wiggled his toes under the water, causing small rippling imperfections in the sable glass. "..Shin.. will you.. visit me?" He asked cautiously.

"Of course!" Shin replied in his usual merry tone. "Don't be nervous about training.. the older knights really are a lot nicer than they look. Even Hayate isn't as mean as he looks. Himeno softened him up." He added.

The small platinum haired boy nodded in understanding. He understood what Shin was telling him, but it did not alleviate the almost nauseous nervousness in his stomach. "Thanks." Sasame said softly, blinking as he tried to make sense of the voice he had heard. Was the voice caused by his own nerves? ..in any case, he didn't have time to think about that now.

As the child and the Knight of Plants continued to talk, the ex Knight of Sound stood near the end of the clearing, his eyes set on the small boy. He wondered if he could handle raising the boy, unsure how he would hone his powers when we himself had none.

"..Sasame.." He whispered to himself, breaking his gaze on the silver haired child. He reached up to his face, removing his glasses and folding them in his hands. He brought a hand over his eyes and rubbed his eyelids with his fingertips. "..this shall be interesting.." He sighed.

Though his hearing was not as powerful as it had been when he was the Leafe Knight of Sound, he was still very keen to quiet noises, and when he heard a light shuffling sound behind him, he was alerted, spinning around on his heels. Standing behind him, with her hands folded in front of her, was his lover, Takako.

"..Sasame.." She began, smiling as she stepped forward, approaching the older man. "How is the party going?" Takako asked, her emerald eyes averting to the side in the direction of the rest of the Leafe Knights and Himeno.

"Well, I suppose." He replied as he replaced the glasses on his face. "Why are you so late in arriving?" Sasame asked, placing his hands in his pockets. Takako tightened her hands, her knuckles becoming white.

"Oh.. yes.. about that.." She murmured as her gaze lowered. "I visited the human world, you see.. I wanted to.. check something." Takako added, unclenching her hands.

"..What was it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.

"..You remember how we said we were going to be married before we tried.. you know.." Takako said apprehensively, rocking back and forth on her heels as if she were unsettled.

Sasame nodded in response, "Yes, I do."

A small giggle elicited from Takako's red lips as she looked up to face Sasame eye to eye. "Well.. I suppose it would be a good idea for us to schedule the wedding earlier than we originally planned." She murmured.

At this, Sasame felt his mind go blank. "..What?" He asked, unsure of what she had said. Takako stared at him in confusion.

"..Sasame.. you look ill." She said, a bit of amusement playing on her words. She reached up and touched a hand to his cheek. "Are you alright?"

"Oh.. yes, yes of course.." Sasame whimpered, feeling his balance strengthen as her words sunk in. "This is not good.. What will Hayate think of me?" He asked, a smile appearing on his lips.

"..Do we care what Hayate thinks?" Takako asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sasame shook his head slowly, chuckling under his breath. "Oh my.. are you sure?" He asked, and Takako nodded immediately. The ex Knight of Sound placed an arm around her shoulder, leading her toward the group. "Then.. I suppose we shall have to tell everyone the good news.." He said joyfully.

From the other side of the lake, Shin pulled his feet out of the water, slapping the young Sasame on the shoulder as he stood. "I am going to steal some more of Kei's champagne when he's not looking.. be back in a little bit." He said, shuffling away. He left his shoes behind.

"..Okay." The boy said a few moments after Shin had left. He crooked his neck upward toward the sky. Even the night sky in Leafenia was magical. The stars shone brighter here than in the human world, and tiny, shimmering faeries zipped about in the air, resembling shooting stars.

He breathed in the night air, feeling it fill his lungs. It felt strange, and unfamiliar to him. Then again, everything in this world, and the other world, was new to him. He would experience this world before the human one, and knew that it would be a long time before he would smell the air, see the lights, or hear the sounds of that other world. That knowledge almost made him feel sorrow.

From across the lake he heard a loud cry, which alerted his gaze downward. The voice he had heard was Himeno's. She had cried out from surprise, he surmised, and she had her arms wrapped around some new woman. The woman had long black hair and pale skin, and she wore a light violet dress. That was all he could make out from that distance.

He focused his thoughts on that group, trying to extent his sound reach across the lake. He heard their voices, they were faint, but he could make out what they were saying.

"You're WHAT?" Goh asked.

"..oh my. This is certainly a first." Kei added to it.

"Oh, Sasame, this is so wonderful!" Came Shin's voice, and Sasame saw him leap at the silver hair man to embrace him.

"Heh.. thank you, Shin.." Sasame chuckled, returning his embrace.

"Wow, Takako. You're engaged, too. I can't wait till I'm a bride.." Himeno grinned. She had apparently recovered.

"More reasons to party! Alright!" Mannen exclaimed, and he reached for the champagne bottle. The voices now mixed, and the small boy lost track of each person. He was nowhere near talented enough to separate one from a sea of voices, especially from that far away.

He lowered his neck and brought his feet out of the water, curling his knees to his chest. "..Tomorrow I begin my training.. tomorrow I begin my knighthood.." He whispered, shutting his eyes and enveloping himself in the sounds of the night.

* * *

"At this point, our real story begins. The prelude is finished, and the new Child of Sound is born. He will train for seven years, honing his skills and strengthening his control over the strings of sound. He visits his elder knights only a few times in the duration of his training, and spends much of his time with his veritable 'mother', Takako.

Over the seven years, Himeno graduates from college, and joins in her mother's company as a very successful marketing manager. She wants more than anything to marry Hayate, who does not seem to comprehend her rather obvious hints. This shall cause Himeno to seem be more irritated than in love with her Knight of Wind.

Takako and Sasame have their first and only child, a small daughter, whom they named Kohana, their little flower. She idolized the new Knight of Sound, and thought of him as her older brother, which he did not object to.

Hajime and Shin grew into their knighthood, both having their full knighting ceremonies at the age of seventeen. They still stuck by Mannen, the three being the same trio they had always been.

And finally, the lady we have not mentioned until now. Lady Mawata, Himeno's younger stepsister is also involved in our dreamy cadence. Yes, she will play a vital role in the twisting, tangling web of magic, mystery, and mayhem. She will attract the eye of a lonesome prince, become the bait in an ally's seeming downfall, and play the catalyst in the turning point.

Allow your mind to drift into the dream, and allow your heart to become entwined; you are entering the world of the 'Reflets Sombres'."

_..Suivre Puck dans le monde de magie.._

* * *

A/N: Whooo I hated this last chapter.. it was so evil to write! Thanks to my sib, who helped me get unstuck a LOT, I managed to finish it FINALLY. Anyway, as you can tell by our narrator's little monologue of sorts, we are done with the 'prelude', and are heading into the belly of the beast! 

I am going to be nice to you and tell you now.. the last line is in French, and reads (loosely) 'Follow Puck into the World of Magic'.

Whoohoo, let's get this started!

* * *


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